Cliffs Natural Resources said that it's recalling 100 laid off coal miners due to improving demand for coking coal used to manufacture steel.

Cliffs in a regulatory filing said that it needs the miners at its Oak Grove Mine at Adger in Alabama.

Federal records show the Oak Grove mine currently employs about 380 people and produced just under 1 million tonnes of coal last year. The recall is the latest sign of stronger orders for coking coal from the steel industry.

Earlier Massey Energy Co said that it's already begun recalling miners.

Cliffs idled two West Virginia coking coal operations earlier this year. The company mines iron ore in Michigan, Minnesota, Canada and Australia and coal in West Virginia and Alabama.

(Sourced from AP)